Incubator heater



Nov. 12, 1929. w D. HARVEY 1,735,246

INCUBATOR HEATER Filed Feb. 15. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l In vcr; 60F.

1929. w. D. HARVEY 1,735,246:

INCUBATOR HEATER Patented Nov. 12, 1929 UNETEZD STATES PATIENT OFFICE IVILLIAIVI DOW HARVEY, OF MACOMB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STEEL PRODUCTS 00., 0F MACOMB, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS rNoUBAron Emma Application filed February 15, 1928. Serial No. 254,359.

My invention relates to the class of liquid heaters in which a burner is employed as the source of heat, and in one of its general objects aims to provide a simple and inexpens siive arrangement in which the heating effect of the burner can readily be varied independently of any burner adjustment or draft control. My invention also provides a heater including a liquid tank constructed for rere :eiving heat from a chimney or other heating device portion both by lateral radiation and by the upward current of air, the heating arrangement being constructed so that the position of the heating device can readily be *:,;:hanged to vary the heating effect on the tank, and so that the user will readily know when the heating device is respectively in its minimum and maximum efiective positions. Furthermore, my invention provides a heater for liquids (or other fluids) in which a simple burner of the chimneyed oil lamp type will suffice as a heating device, in which the heating effect of the burner on the liquid container can readily be varied by rotational movements of the burner on its support, and

in which the heating device canreadily be inserted andremoved without unduly tipping it. More particularly, my invention provides a liquid heater including a base disposed belowa tank of hollow inverted U-shaped dianietric section, and a chimneyed oil burning device effectively journaled for rotational movement upon the base and varied in its effectiveness by the changes in position of the chimney of thisdevice with respect to a flue extending through the top of the tank; and my invention also aims to provide a heater of this class in which a removable drip pan inm tel-posed between the base and the oil burning oil drip, supports the heating device at an effective height, and serves to reduce tipping of the heating device during its insertion or withdrawal. V

In heating incubators, it has long been customary to provide hot water pipes leading from the interior of the incubator to a tank outside the latter, which tank is heated by an oil burninglamp below the'tank. In such 50 arrangements, the heated gases commonly esdevice serves in the journaling, catches any cape through a flue and the draft of the lamp can be regulated to a considerable extent by a damper disposed above the flue and con-H trolled by a thermostat within the incubator. However, the resulting regulation has proved nsufficient to compensate for decided changes in thetemperature of the room in which the incubator is disposed, since the draft through the flue cannot be greatly throttled without causing the lamp to smoke. In one of its immediate commercial applications, my invention provides a liquid heater particularly suitablefor use in connection with an incubator and arranged so that the heating eifect can be varied (both initially and again later if desired) by mere rotational movements of the lamp, without affecting the usual dampercontrol regulation in accordance with the temperature in the incubating chamber.

Illustrative of such an embodiment of my invention, v

Fig. 1 is a front elevaton of a liquid heater designed for this purpose.

Fig. 2' is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged central and vertical section, taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2, with the lamp in its most effective position.

Fig.4 is a horizontal section taken through Fig. 3 along the line 4.-4..

Fig. 5 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 3, but with the lamp or heating device in its least'efi'ective position. 1

Fig. 6 is a reduced horizontal section, taken along the line 66 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of another embodiment, with portions sectioned to show other suitable constructions of the lamp bottom, the supporting base and the interposed drip pan.

Fig. 8 's a central and vertical section through still another embodiment of my invention, namely one which includes no drip In the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive,

my liquid heater includes an upright casing comprising a cylindrical casing side 1 pro vlded'in 1ts lower portlon wlth anopening 2,

abase 3 fastened to the bottom end of the tubular casing side hand a detachable cover 4 having a flue duct 5 extending through it at one side of the axis of the casing side. Supported within the upper portion of the casing side, as by brackets 6, is a liquid container comprising a double-walled tubular jacket 7 and a double-walled container top 8, thus attording a liquid chamber of inverted U- shaped diametric section, from which an inlet pipe 9 and an outlet pipe 10 extend through the casing side. A fine 11 extends from the lower wall 8 of the container top through the upper wall 8 and into the flue duct 5 to provide for the upward passage of hot air from the bore of the double-walled tubular jacket 7 Extending upwardly into this bore is the chimney 12 of an oil-burning lamp which has its oil font 13 supported by or from the base 3 of the casing in such a manner that the chimney (whioli has its upper end considerably below the lower wall 8 of the container top) can be rotated substantially about the aiiis of the liquid container. For this purpose, Figs. 1 and 3 show the lamp font seated on ertical partitions 14 in a drip pan, 16 whi i1 is seated on the. base of the casing. The horizontal main portion 3* of this base has a co al perforation loosely fitting a downward projection 17 on the bottom of the drip pain so tint, the periphery of this projection and the bore of the said, perforation constitute 'interfitting foiimati'ons for effectively journaling the drip pan on, the said base.

The lateral displacement or the axes of the lamp c nney and the flue 11 from the axis of the liqucontainer are substantially equal, so that the top ot-the chimney alines with this due when in one position but is out or. alinement with he flue in another position. Since gravity "nu hold the lamp on the drip pan, the lamp readily rotates with the latter, and in the unaline'd position of Fig. 8 underh'angs a solid: portion fot' the top of the liquid container, so. that theliquid in the latter will be heated both bycthe upwardly passing hot asses and by lateral heat radiation from the 'mney. However, when the lamp is disd so that its chimney alines'jwith the conta ner fine 11, the hot gases will largely pass upward through this fine without heating the container top, thus greatly reducing the heatng effect for the same burneradjustment and the same position of the usual damper 18, while various intermediate heating elfi'ciencies can beobtained by rotationally moving the lamp so that the chimney alines only partially and to varying extents with the flue. hen the drip pan is interposedbetween the base ofthe casing'and the, l amp, a slight raising of the lamp will permit the drip pan to be withdrawn from the casing, after which "he lamp can be lowered close to thebase before also removing it from the casing. Consequently, I can readily use a chimney which normally projects for. a considerable distance into the bore of the inverted cup-shaped hollow liquid container, and can have the total height of the lamp greater than the distance between the base 3 and the lower end of the container without being obliged to tilt the lamp unduly when withdrawing or replacing it.

The drip pan preferably is larger in diameter than the font 13 of the lamp, so that it will catch drip oil left on the font after refilling, and the font may closely approach the bore of the casing so that the latter will aid in keeping the lamp font coaxial with the casing. However, I may also provide interfitting formations on the drip pan and the base of the lamp to journal the lamp on the drip pan, as by providing the bottom of the font with a central and upwardly directed boss fittingover a tubular and central partition 19 in the drip pan, as shown in Fig. 5.

The opening 2 in the tubular casing, side desirably exten ds about half way around the casing and presents upright edges 20 adapted to engage-the usual narrow handle 21 of the lamp so as limit the rotational movement of the lamp. With these stop edges 20 suitably disposed in relation to the position of the line 11, the engagement of one of these edges 20 by the handle as in Fig. i) will place the lamp substantially in its maximum heating position, while a movement of the lamp to its permissible extent until the handle 21 engages the other edge 20 will dispose the lampin its least effective heating position of Fig. 5. Consequently, the user can readily judge of the effectiveness of the lamp from the position of its handle. However, the stopping may also be done by engagement of the said edges 20 with the handle 22 of the drip pan.

vSo also, many changes may obviously be made without departing either from the s airit of my invention or from the appended claims; F or example, Fig. shows an embodiment in which a central embossed portion of the baseot the drip pan 23 has its lower end engaging a raised boss at on the base of the casing, and has its upper end fitting a raised boss 25 in the bottom of the lamp fOilt. I v 7 Moreover, I do not wish to be. limited to the inclusion of a drip pan disposed under the heating device and effectively forming part of the removable heating member. For example,Fig-. 8 shows anembodiment in which the lamp seats directly on the casing base 26. and in which, this base has an upwardly directed boss fitting a corresponding boss 25 in the bott'o'mof the lamp font. Nor do I wish to be limited to the employment of my invention in connection with an incubator In all of the illustrated embodiments, the inverted hollow cup shape of the liquid con tain er greatly increases the amount of heatreceiving surface in proportion to the liquid capacity of the container) over that of heaters in which only a horizontal portion receives the heat. Furthermore, the relatively large bore surface of the liquid container effectively receives lateral heat radiation from the upper portion of the chimney and also abstracts heat from the air which passes upward through this bore 7 after being warmed through the lower parts of the chimney. Consequently, my heater is unusually efiicient in proportion to the amount of heat supplied by the burning oil and is also unusually speedy in the initial heating of the liquid.

I I claim as my invention:

1. A liquid heater comprising a liquid container including a top portion and an annular portion deepnding from the top portion, a vertical flue extending from the bore of the said annular portion upwardly through the top portion at one side of the axis of the annular portion, a heating member including a heat-emitting portion disposed within the said bore at one side of the axis of the bore, and a support on which the heating member is rotatable about the axis of the bore to bring its heat-emitting portion into and out of alinement with the flue while continually maintaining this heat-emitting portion in vertical alinement with a part of the said bore.

2. A liquid heater as per claim 1, in which the support and the heating member have interengageable portions disposed for limiting the rotational movement of the heating member to positions in which the said heatemitting portion is respectively in and out of alinement with the flue.

3. A liquid heater comprising an elevated liquid container including a top portion and an annular portion depending from the top portion, a flue extending from the bore of the said annular portion upwardly through the top portion at one side of the axis of the annular portion, a heating member including a heat-emitting portion continuously disposed within the said bore at one side of the axis of the bore, and a support rigidly spaced from the container and on which the heating member is rotatable about the axis of the bore, the support and the heating member having interfltting portions to journal the heating member on the axis of the said bore. Y 4. A heater comprising an upright casing, a liquid container mounted in an elevated portion of the casing and including an upright annular container portion and a hollow top extending across the bore of the annular container portion; a flue. extending through the said top and laterally displaced from the axis of the annular container portion, and an oil-burning device supported in the casing below and coaxial with the said container portion, the'said device having its burner at one side of the said axis and contiuuously in vertical alinement with the bore of the annularcontainer portion, the said device being rotatable about the said axis, the lateral displacements of the flue and burnler from the said axis being substantially equa Y 5. A heater as per claim 4, in whichthe oil burningdevice includes an upright chimney havingits upper end continuously disposed within the bore ofthe annular container portion regardlessof the position to which the said device may be rotated.

6. A liquid heater as per claim 4, in which i the casing and the oil-burning devlce have 1nterengaging portions disposed for halting rotational movement of the said device in two positions in which the burner respectively underhangs the flue and underhangs a container top portion laterally spaced from the flue. g

7. A heater comprising an upright casing including a stationary bottom, a. liquid container mounted in an elevated portion of the casing and including an upright annular con tainer portion and a hollow top extending across the bore of the annular container portion, a flue extending vertically through the said hollow top at one side of the axis of the annular container portion; and an oil-burningheating member seated on the said bot tom and including a chimney having its upperend disposed within the bore of the annular container portion at one side of the axis of the latter, the casing having means for guiding the heating member for rotation about the said axis, and the casing having a lateral opening above the bottom and below the annular container portion throughwhich the heating member can be inserted and removed.

i 8. A heater comprising an upright casing, 3; a liquid container mounted 111 an elevated portion of the casing and including an upright annular container portion and a hollow top extending across the bore of the annular container portion; a flue extending through the said top and laterally displaced from the axis of the annular container portion, the casing having a rigid base spaced downwardly from the bottom ofthe liquid container; a

drip pan removably seated upon the base, the baseand drip pan having interengaging portions efi'ectively journaling the drip pan for rotational movement about the axis of the container; and an oil-burning device seated upon the drip pan and having its heat-emitting portion laterally displaced from the said axis to substantially the same distance as the 9. A heater comprising an upright casing, a liquid container mounted in an elevated portionof the casing and including an upright annular container portion and a hollow top extending across the bore of the annular container portion; a flue extending through the said top and laterally displaced from the axis of'the annular container portion, the casing having a rigid base spaced downwardly from the bottom of the liquid container; a drip pan removablyseated upon the base,

, the base and drip pan having interengaging portions effectively journaling the drip pan 4 for rotational movement about the axis of the container; and an oil-burning device seated. upon the drip pan and having its heateinitting portion laterally displaced from the said axis to substantially the same distance as the fine, the said interengaging portions being of such limited height as to permit the removal of the drip pan when the said device is raised.

10. A heater comprising a liquid container including a top portion and an annular side portion depending from the top portion, a flue extending from the bore of the annular side port-ion through the top portion at one side of the axis of the said side portion; a base rigidly spaced downwardly from the container, a drip pan removably seated on the base and journaled on the base for rotation about the said axis, and an oil burning device rernovably seated on thedrip pan and in cluding a chimney extending upwardly into the bore of the annular containerside portion at one side of the said axis; the joint height of the drip panand the oil burning device being only slightly greater than the height of the bottom of the container above the base, thereby permitting the successive Withdrawal of the drip pan and the oil-burning device with a relatively small tilting of the latter.

11. A liquid heater comprising an inverted and double-Walled cup-shaped liquid container; a casing freely housing the said container and having a lateral opening below the container; a fine extending upwardly through the double-walled top of the container and through the top of the casing at one side ofthe vertical axis of thecasing; a heating device supportedwvithin the casing and having a heat-emitting portion extending upwardly into the bore of the double-Walled lateral Wall of the liquid container, and means associated with the casing for guiding the heating device; the said device being ro-V tata-ble with respect to the casing to bring its heat-emitting portion into or out of vertical alin'ementfwith the flue, the heating device being insertible in its said disposition With- ;int-he casing through the said lateral opening in the casing.

Signed at Chicago, 1928. Y

7 WILLIAM DOW HARVEY.

lllinbis, February 13th, 

